1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of this invention relates to reusable high performance water based drilling fluids.
In particular, embodiments of this invention relates to reusable high performance water based drilling fluids, where the fluids include a water based continuous aqueous phase and discontinuous non-aqueous phase, where the aqueous phase is a brine and the non-aqueous phase is composed of glycerols, polyglycerols, poly hydroxyl alcohols, poly hydroxyl alcohols, monosaccharide derivatives, polysaccharide derivatives, or mixtures and combinations thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Oil based drilling fluids have historically been the preferred choice for exploration and development of drilling projects. These fluids are often reused from well to well and guarantee among other things: reasonable costs, good inhibiting properties, and good lubricity properties. Against these advantages, there are several disadvantages including high environmental impact such as spillage risks, significant cuttings disposal costs and location remedial costs. These fluids also entail logistics issues in moving large volumes of organic base fluids and salts, increased costs on solids control equipments and an undesirable dependency on the type of organic base fluids chosen for a given project.
Many principles have been addressed to control shale hydration due to drilling fluids used in the oil industry. Some of these control technologies include the use of lime and gypsum calcic fluids, salts dissolved in the aqueous phase up to saturation, silicate fluids, shale encapsulating polymers, amines, amphoteric polymers, inverted emulsion fluids, pore pressure transmission blocking mechanisms, glycol based fluids and many intermediate combinations of the above. Most fluids are based on one principle and often fail to address geological conditions and environmental regulation.
Historically, water based fluids have been a one interval disposable volume. Thus, there is a need in the art for reusable high performance water based drilling fluids.